Poration



April 9,1929. MARSH 1,708,513

THREAD TENSIONING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY THREADING LOOM SHUTTLES FiledMay 28, 1928 I! IIUMINHHNIIIIIT '8 //v VENTOR.

A TTORNEY Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD MARSH, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPIR COR-PORATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

THBEAD-TENSIONING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY THREADING LOOM SHUTTLES.

Application filed May 28,

This invention relates to automatically threading loom shuttles and ismore particularly directed to the tensioning means for maintaining thethread under tension during weaving.

It is now the ordinary practice to provide auton'iatically threadingloom shuttles with a. tensioning device at or adjacent its threaddelivery end, to maintain the thread or filling under tension during theWeaving operation, and such thread tensioning devices have taken manyforms. In weaving with certain kinds or characters of thread or filling,such, for instance, as silk, artifical silk, rayon and the like, muchdifficulty has been experienced in securing a proper tension to thethread or filling on the first pick of the shuttle followingreplenishment, and failure of the tensioning means in this respectproduces in the cloth what is known as shiners. This is particularlyobservable in fabrics formed of silk, artificial silk, rayon, and thelike, and one of the principal objects of the present invention is toprovide an automatically threading loom shuttle with atensioning deviceso constructed and arranged that it will take control of the thread andtension it on the first pick of-the shuttle following replenishment, andmaintain such tension during the subsequent weaving operations.

Animportant feature of the present invention consists in a tensioningdevice for automatically threading loom shuttles comprising twotcnsioning members having opposed tensioning surfaces curved in avertical plane transversely of the shuttle in such relation to the pathof the swirling thread as it is withdrawn from the shuttle that on thefirst pick of the shuttle following replenishment the thread will passat once into control of the tensioning members and have tension appliedthereto. v

The two tensioning members are normally held in thread tensioningposition by yielding means, and one of the tensioning memhers is formedwith a concaved tensioning surface extending heightwise of the shuttleand the other tensioning member is provided with an opposed convexedtensioning surface likewiseextending heightwise of the shuttle, thecurve of the engaged tensioning surfaces being in substantialcorrespondence with the path of the swirling thread adjacent thetensioning members as it is with drawn from the shuttle.

1928. Serial N0. 281,204.

made clear from the following description and the accompanying drawingsof one good practical form thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of an automatically threading loomshuttle containing the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detached perspective detail on an enlarged scale of athreading block or shuttle eye showing one of the tensioning membersconnected to the block and the other dis-associated therefrom but inposition for application thereto;

Fig. 3 is an end View of the threading block looking from the bobbinchamber and showing the relation of the tensioning members and therelation of the swirling thread to the reversely curved surfaces of thetensioning members;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the threading block, looking from theleft, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the threading block containing the presentinvention and looking from the opposite side of the block, or from theright, Fig. 3.

The present invention is especially applicable to automaticallythreading loom shuttles wherein the shuttle is partially threaded on thefirst pick following replenishment and is completely threaded as theshuttle is returned to the replenishing box. The general practice infilling replenishing looms where the filling in the shuttle is changed,is to secure the end portions of the filling in the hopper to a fixedpoint, so that on the first pick of the shuttle following replenishmentthe filling will be withdrawn from the shuttle about the end of thebobbin in a swirling path and finaily pass into the longitudinal threadpassage of the shuttle. The present invention takes advantage of thisswirling action of the thread to cause it to pass into control of thetensioning device on the first pick of the shuttle and properly tensionthe thread, whereby shiners or defects in the cloth are obviated.

The shuttle 1. as indicated in Fig. 1, is of the filling replenishingtype, and is provided with the bobbin chamber 2 and bobbin holding jaws3 at one end of the shuttle for engaging the headportion 4 of a fillingcarrier or bobbin At the delivery end the shuttle is provided with alongitudinally extending thread passagev 6 and a side delivery eye 7 Inthe present instance of the invention, the

. longitudinally extending thread passage 6 is formed in a threadingblock which, except as hereinafter :more fully described, may be of anygeneral and well-known type.

' The threading block 8 has an opening 9 by which the threading blockmay be held in the delivery end of the shuttle, as usual, through theengagement therewith of the transversely exttnrding holding screw, and,if desired, the threading block may have a downwardl projecting pin ltl't'o' engage a corresponc ingly shaped recess inthe'shuttle.

As indicated more clearly'in Figs. 2 and 3,

the top portion of the threading block 8 has the downwardly inclinedportions 11 and 1 2, one at each side of the entrance to thelongitudinal thread passage 6,1the purpose-being to direct the threaddownwardly into and through the longitudinal passage, as usual infilling replen-isl-nng shuttles of this general As hereinbefore stated,one of the principal purposes of the present invention is to insurepro'pertension being applied to the thread on the first 'pick of theshuttle following replenishnrent, and to this end the tensioning deviceis formedof two members having op- 'posedtensioning surfaces extendingfrom a point near the top of the threading block downwardly in a curved.path corresponding substantially to the path of the swirling thread asit is withdrawn from the shuttle and passes about the end P01131011 130ithe filling carrier or bobbin.

In the present illustration of the invention, the tensioning deviceisformed of a fixed and a movable tensioning member, and: suchconstruction is a 'ood ractical form of the resent invention g P aalthough it may be modified in this respect, the essential being thatthe reversely curved tensioning surfaces of the tensioning members shallextend downwardly in a curved path such that as the swirling thread iswithdrawnfrom the end of the bobbin, it will takea natural course intoand between the tensioning members.

In accordance with the form of the inventron shown, one of thetensroning members,

as 14, is held in fixed position at the entrance to the longitudinallyextending thread parsage,"an il has its upper portion 15 flared outwardly and secured in fixed position to the threadingblock so that itpresents no'obstruction t0 the 'passage'of the thread. The fixedtensioning member 14 has the concaved downwardlycxtending tensioningsurface 1 6 which is preferablycontinued downwardly beyond the entranceto the thread passage.

As herein shown, the fixed tensioning member has an outwardly extendingprojection 17 between the top and bottom thereof whichmay be secured toa portion 18 of thethreading block inappropriate'mannenas' by solderingor brazing, or otherwise. It is desir able that the downwardly concaved"tensionin-g surface shall extend as far as the bottom ing member, sothat the two tensioningmembers have opposed reversely curved tensioningsurfaces which extend downwardly from near the top of the threadingblock in a curve corresponding" substantially to. the path of the threadadjacent the entrance to the thread passage 6;, as itswi'rls' about theendof the filling carrier or bobbin while the thread is being withdrawniromthe shuttle. v

In the present instance; of the invention, the movable tensioning member20 has an upper interlocking portion 2i adapted'to engage a shoulderedrecess 22511 the threading block, as shown, Fig. 2, the construction-bemg such that the movable tenslon'mg member may articulate or swing aboutits" connection with the threading block and in a direction t0- ward thefixed tensioning'member 14, and \vhen'in thread tensioning' relationwith the fixed tensioning member is locked from disengagement with thethreading block.

In the present instance of the invention, the locking portion 21 of themovable-tensioning member has a recess 23 which engages about theshoulder 22* of the recess 22, and

a tongue portion 24 which engages the inner portlon of the shoulderedrecess 22 formed in the'threadingblock, as indicated more clearly inFig. 5, with the result that while the ten-' 5 sioning member may beconnected to the threading block by swinging it upwardly, as

indicated in Fig. 2, and then moving it laterally, and downwardiy, thetongue 24 will thereafter retain the movable tensioning member in itsassembled relation with the threading block, with permissive movement ofthe tensioning member 20 toward the fixed tension-ing member. Thisparticular means of connection between the movabletensioning member andthe threading block may ob viou'sly be varied, but the construction de-'scribed represents a good practical form of connecting the movabletensioningmember in opposed relation with the fixed tensioning member atthe entrance to the longitudinally extending thread passage 6, so thattheswirling thread will be caused to engage the tensioning membersbetween the end 13 of the; I filling carrier or bobbin and the entranceto Q the longitudinal thread passage. ,7 J

' The ten-sioning effect on the-thread between the tensioning members iscaused by resilient in thread tensioning relation.

means normally acting upon the movable tensioning member 20 to cause'thetwo reversely curved tensioning surfaces to be pressed toward each otherinto substantial contact. As one good form of means for maintaining therelation between the tensioning members, the movable tensioning member20 is extended downwardly beyond the longitudinal thread passage 6, asindicated at 25, and is there connected with a resilient or elasticstrip or strap 26 the end 27 of which may be suitably knotted at theoutside of an opening formed in the lower end 25 of the tensioningmember. The elastic band-26 is then carried latorally through a recess28 formed in the lower portion of the threading block and its up wardlyextending portion 29 is then stretched and passed into an opening 30formed between the lugs 31 projecting from the top portion 12 of thethreading block, the result being that upon the release of the stretchedelastic member 26, its upper end portion 32 will expand and consequentlyretain the elastic member under tension in drawing upon the movabletensioning member 20 to maintain the reversely curved tensioningsurfaces The elastic member or band 26 forms a good practicalconstruction for acting upon the movable ten sioning member 20, but inthe broader aspects of the invention, other means, of course, might be(ll'lPlOYQd for this same purpose.

When the shuttle is picked following replenishment, the thread a willtake a swirlin g course about the end of the filling carrier or bobbin13 which is indicated in Fig. 3, and as the shuttle moves from thereplenishing box to the opposite side of the loom, the swirling thread awill engage one or the other of the downwardly inclined portions 1.1 or12 of the threading block and be guided into the entrance between theoutwardly flaring upper end portions 15 and of the two tensioningmembers. As the shuttle proceeds on its course, the thread a will passaround the end 13 of the filling carrier or bobbin, as indi cated inFig. 3, in the direction of the arrow, and will be given a downward pullas it passes from the top to the lower portion of the end 13 of thefilling carrier or bobbin, as represented successively by the lines 7),c. (l, e and with the result that during the first flight of the shuttlefollowing replenishment, the thread a during itsswirling action aboutthe end of the bobbin, will travel a path substantially coincident withthe curved tensioning surfaces of the fixed and movable tensioningmembers, and, finally, before the shuttle has reached the opposite box,will pass between the curved surfaces of the tensioning members and begiven the desired tension. On the return movement of the shuttle to thereplenishing box, the thread will obviously remain between thetensioning surfaces as it passes to the side delivery eye of theshuttle, so

that on the first pick of the shuttle following replenishment, the sametension is placed upon the thread as maintains during subsequentweaving, thereby eliminating shiners or defects in the cloth.

From the construction described it will be obvious that the presentinvention provides opposed tensioning members at the entrance to thethread passage and having curved tensioning surfaces extendingheightwise of the shuttle in substantial correspondence to the path ofthe swirling thread at the part thereof adjacent the entrance to thelongitudinal thread passage. The effect of this is that the swirlingthread takes a natural course as itis withdrawn from the bobbin and isengaged between the two curved tensioning surfaces during the firstflight of the shuttle following replenishment, and while the details ofthe construction hereinbefore described embody a good practical formthereof, it is evident that such construction may be varied within thetrue scope of the present invention, one of the essentials of which isthat the opposed tension ing members shall present curved tensioningsurfaces extending heightwise of the shuttle adjacent the entrance tothe longitudinally eX- tending thread passage between which the threadwill naturally pass as it swings about the end of the bobbin, so that onthe first pick of the shuttle following replenishment the thread will begiven the same service tension as it will have during subsequentweaving.

l/V hat is claimed is:

l. A tension device for automatically threading loom shuttles,comprising tensioning members having opposed friction surfaces extendingheightwise of the shuttle in a curve substantially corresponding to theswirling path of the filling as it is withdrawn from the shuttle thatthe filling may be engaged between the curved friction surfaces andtensioned on. the first pick following replenishment.

2. A tension device for automatically threading loom shuttles,comprising tensioning members having opposed friction surfaces extendingheightwise of the shuttle in a curve substantially corresponding to theswirling path of the filling as it is withdrawn from the shuttle thatthe filling may be engaged between the curved friction surfaces andtensioned on the first pick following replenishment, and means tendingto force the curved friction surfaces towards each other.

3. An automatically threading loom shuttle having a longitudinal threadpassage and side delivery eye, a tension device formed of two membershaving friction surfaces between which the thread is tensioned and whichcross thelongitudinal thread passage in a curve substantiallycorresponding to the path of the swirling thread as it is withdrawn fromthe shuttle.

4. A tension device I for automatically threading loom shuttles,comprising, in com first'pick of the shuttle following replenishment.

5-. A tension device for automatically threading loom shuttles,comprlsing, in com bination, two members having outwardly flaring upperportions and one of which has a concaved tensioning surface and theother an opposed convex tensioning surface, both 6X' tending fromthetopportion towardsthe bottom of the shuttle in a curve substantiallycorresponding to the curve of the swirling thread as it is withdrawnfrom the shuttle,

andmeans foryieldingly pressing the curvedtensioning sarfaces relativelyinto thread ten.-

vsioning, position to impart tension to the thread on the first pick ofthe shuttle following replenishment.

6.- An automatically threading looii shut tle having a bobbin chamber, aside delivery eye, and a longitudinally extending thread. passage, athread tensioning device at the entrance to the thread passagecomprising two members having thread engaging tensioning surfacesreversely curved in a vertical plane extending transversely of theshuttle that the swirling thread may be engaged between the tensioningsurfaces and tensioned thereby on the first pick of the shuttlefollowing replenishment, and yielding means normally acting to press'thereversely curved surfaces into thread tensioning relation. v

7 An automatically threading loom. shuttle having a bobbin chamber, aside delivery eye, and a longitudinally extending thread passage, athread tensioning device at the en trance to thethread passagecomprising two members having thread engaging tensioningsurfacesreversely curved ina vertical plane extending transversely of theshuttle that the thread may be engaged between the tensioning surfacesand tensioned thereby on the first pick of the shuttle followingreplenishment, and an elastic band acting to draw the curved tensionsurfaces into thread tensioning relation.

8. An automatically threading loom shuttle having a bobbin chamber andside delivery eye, a threading block having a longitudinal threadpassage, a fixed tensioning member secured to the threading block atone-side of the entrance to the thread passage, an opposed tensioningmember mounted on the threading block at the opposite side of the threadpassage for movement, toward the face concavely carved from top tobottom and the other tensloning member having a con- Vexly curvedtensioning surface conformingto the concavely curved surface of thecompanion tensioning member, and means; acting yieldingly on the movabletensioning member to maintain the reversely curved. tensioning surfacesin thread tensioning relation.

' 9. In an automatically threading loom shuttle, the combination ofathreading block having a longitudinalthread passage, fixed and movabletensioning members having thread tensioning surfacescurved to correspondsubstantially to the path of the swirling thread and betweenwhich thethread is tensioned on the first pick of theshuttle fob lowingreplenishment, and a yielding pull device acting to hold the tensioningsurfaces in thread tensioning relation;

10. In an automatically threading loomshuttle, the combination of athreading block having a longltudmal thread passage, fixed: and movabletensionlng members having thread tensioning surfaces curved to correspond substantially to the path-of the swirling thread and between whichthe thread is tensioned on the first pick of the shuttle followingreplenishment, and an elastic band.

acting on the movable tensioning member below the thread passage tomaintain the tenand movable tensioning members provided with outwardflaring upper end portions having thread tensioning surfaces curved tocor-- ing movement toward the opposite tensioning member that theswirling thread may, by its normal swirling movement, enter between thetensioning surfaces and be tensioned on the first pick of the shuttlefollowingreplenishment.

13. Inan automatically threading loom shuttle, the combination of athreading block'- having a longitudinal thread passage, threaditensioning members having tensioning surfaces arranged in a verticalcurve correspond ing to the path of the swirling thread as it iswithdrawn from the shuttle, one of said tensioning members being mountedfor swinging movement toward the opposite tensioning member that theswirling thread may, by its normal swirling movement, enter between thetensioning surfaces and be tensioned on the first pick of the shuttlefollowing replenishment, and an elastic band secured to the swingingtensioning member and held under lengthwise stretch. I

14:. A tension device for automatically threading loom shuttlescomprising opposed tensioning members having friction surfaces betweenwhich the thread is tensioned, and

an elastic band secured to the movable tensioning member and held underlengthwise tension.

15. A tension device for automatically threading loom shuttlescomprising tensionin g members having reversely curved tensioningsurfaces in a vertical plane transversely of the shuttle to engage andtension the thread on the first pick of the shuttle followingreplenishment, and means acting yieldingly to force the tensioningmembers into thread tensioning relation.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HAROLD MARSH.

